Description
Book SynopsisThe earliest and largest corpus of Christian writings on Islam was written in the Aramaic dialect of Syriac. Envisioning Islam shows how these previously neglected texts problematize modern perceptions of an exclusively hostile Christian reaction to Islam and revolutionize our understanding of the early Islamic world.
Trade Review"Penn's book is a mighty achievement. In
Envisioning Islam, scholars at last have a one-stop survey of some of the richest but most poorly understood Syriac sources for the early Islamic period, paired with clear-headed analysis and sober conclusions. . . . Penn's book succeeds in defamiliarizing the early history of Muslim-Christian relations and will undoubtedly set the stage for future research on the topic." *
The Medieval Review *
"
Envisioning Islam offers a rich discussion with important implications to better situate early Islam into the cosmopolitan late antique Near East. Penn is to be commended for a valuable contribution to the field." * Intellectual History of the Islamicate World *
"A sophisticated and well-conceived study of the evolving depictions of Muslims in Syriac texts that will shed new light on the socially complicated history of early Islam." * Sydney H. Griffith, The Catholic University of America *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1
Chapter 1. When Good Things Happened to Other People: Syriac Memories of the Islamic Conquests
Chapter 2. A Different Type of Difference-Making: Syriac Narratives of Religious Identity
Chapter 3. Using Muslims to Think With: Narratives of Islamic Rulers
Chapter 4. Blurring Boundaries: The Continuum Between Early Christianity and Early Islam
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
